Coalition members will host a Community Systems Development Listening Session sponsored by the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development (OECD), the Department of Human Services, and the Illinois State Board of Education . The session, which is by invitation only, will be held on Friday, July 10, 2015 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Kokopelli in Marion. The purpose of this meeting is to open up a dialogue on the state’s vision for early childhood and how the state can most effectively support community collaborations in their efforts to carry out this vision. This dialogue will build on the recommendations from the Community Systems Development State Plan, which was drafted in 2014 with stakeholder and community input; we encourage you to review the plan prior to our meeting. Community collaborations and those who are involved in collaborative efforts from entities including the AOK Networks, CCR&Rs, CFCs/LICs/Early Intervention, Head Start grantees, Innovation Zones, MIECHV communities, and School Districts are among the invitees. State level representatives will also present plans (to date) for rollout of targeted regional hubs and welcome community collaborations’ recommendations, concerns, and questions regarding the regional hub structure. ,